Transport of the critically ill child

During the past several decades, the transport of critically ill patients to and between hospitals has gradually improved. The major indications that necessitate emergency transport for adult patients are trauma and acute cardiac disease, and the establishment of transport teams trained in the care of these conditions has improved the outcome of adult patients. In critically ill children, the indications for emergency transport differ from those in adults; pediatric patients are most likely to be transported for respiratory and neurologic emergencies. The outcome for critically ill children is optimal when a dedicated pediatric transport team functions in the setting of a regional critical-care outreach program. Such a program emphasizes stabilization of the child's condition at the local hospital, followed by transport to a pediatric intensive-care facility by a specially trained pediatric transport team. In this review, we present an overview of the principles and operating procedures of such pediatric transport teams.